Schiz, I'm collecting the Bruboy from the left luggage at Exeter station sometime in the afternoon...If I don't catch you in town before the game then the Cider Barn is the barr for the east terrace in the ground. Remember the Devon farmers stroking your sporran?

21st Century Schizoid Man wrote:Too soon mate. Usual Scotsman guff. Anyway we have been no bad without him

Agreed, no need to rush him back. These are not the sort of games to chuck players into when they are not match fit. Let him have a run out against the Kings after the Euro games then he will be ready for the AIs and the second round of games.

Looking forward to this one, two pretty in-form teams going at each other, should be good.

Haven't see much of Exeter this year, but traditionally they rely on a big forward pack and dominance from the set piece, where Glasgow have been a bit weak to date. Will need to really front up there, as otherwise I can see Exeter grinding them down with scrums and rolling mauls. If Glasgow can get near to parity at the set piece, they have a great chance.

I would agree with RDW that Glasgow haven't quite hit top gear yet this season. They've played some outstanding stuff at times, and when they do click they score, heavily so. I'm not massively worried about the recovery for a couple of reasons. First they seem very fit indeed, they actually finished much stronger than the Cheetahs last week, in pretty alien conditions, which suggest their conditioning is top notch. And secondly, they have an extra day to recover, the Cheetahs game being a Friday night game, which should help. I think they'll be fine.

Overall I would expect a Glasgow side with few changes from last week. There's been talk of Hogg being fit again, and DR so far has shown little inclination at "easing" players back in, so he might start if so (especially as Jackson has played rather a lot of rugby so far, think he might have played every minute?). Brown I think was knocked out last week, so Turner will start. I'm not too worried about that, our line-out was better with Turner, and - tendency to throw wild passes aside - he's been generally excellent this season. The only other changes we might see are Cummings and Lee Jones involved somewhere.

Glasgow's set piece has really struggled - especially the scrums - and this is exasperated by them making so many knock ons. This is partly due to the tempo and style in which they play, but they've also been forcing things at times, throwing wild offloads or passes when they would have been better off recycling. If they can get that balance right they'll be deadly!

I think that's fair. Certainly as you say, most scrums have been on the opposition put-in, which allows them to milk the penalties if Glasgow are struggling. Glasgow have actually been generally solid on their own ball, going for a quick strike and exit most of the time. They were also dominant against Treviso, though that was a one-off so far. Obviously Cheetahs have a strong set piece, which exacerbated the problem, but so do Exeter, so I hope Glasgow have been trying to fix that as much as possible.

I did notice against the Cheetahs that on Glasgow's put in Ashe didn't even push - he had his arms extended full length in the bind and picked the ball up as soon as it was hooked to his feet. There was no messing about there!

I'm always a bit surprised more teams don't go more for that TBH when they're clearly struggling at scrum time. If you have a hooker who can get a quick strike in (maybe a big if in today's game admittedly) it's an easy-ish way of getting the ball out quickly and thus securing decent ball on your own feed.

It is now compulsory for someone in the front row to strike on their team's put in. Ally this to the other change in regs (SH able to stand on his teams side of the middle and Number 8 allowed to pick up from the Second Rows feet) and that foot up and feeding still seem to be permitted and teams should be able to get the ball out quickly.

1. Allan (Bhatti)2. Brown (Turner, WeePee if Brown fails RTPP)3. Zander (Rae)4. Swinson 5. Wee Jonny (Cummings, it'll be pace in the last 20 that's needed not bulk; sorry Brian)6. Batman7. Half-Man Half-Mullett8. Ashe (Fagerson.2 again upping the pace.)9. Aldi Price (Henners to close the game out. The Chiefs employ the umbrella/banana defence and creep up with no regard for the offside line, a nippy wee 9 sniping can keep them honest)10. Dancer: there is only one. (Horne, either to bench or start at 12, as back up)11. Sarto (MadMentalNiko)12. Horne/Johnson one benching one starting13. Grigg (Is he the only fit 13? I think he is.)14. Tennessee Tam15. Hogg (Jackson has played all six so far: if Hoggy is to play against the Ladyboys next week he needs some game-time this weekend).

This gives us a 5-3 bench with Henners, Niko Horne/Johnson. Niko can cover all of the back 3, if Horne starts and Dancer needs to come off then Johnson goes 12. My main concern is if anything happens to Grigg. We could end up with Hogg or Niko defending the 13 channel against Henry Slade, who is rather good.Mind you Jackson may bench and cover 10/15.

No Hoggy and Lee Jones is in for Sarto. Other than that it's pretty much as expected.I've checked in and printed my boarding pass, done my pre-match exercises (one mixed case of Brew Dog's finest) and I'm counting the minutes till kick-off.

Front rows are quite interesting. I would say the tightheads (including benches) for both sides have more name recognition. Glasgow should be able to compete but Exeter will probably edge the scrum.

Second row I would give to Glasgow. Not head of Jonny Hill. Any good?

The back rows for both sides are all quite similar in stature/size. Waldrom and Harley are contrasting bench options with Exeter going for an attacking option vs Glasgow's Ginger Tackle Monster.

The half back battle will be interesting. Price-Russell on their day can be unplayable. Exeter will really need to put Glasgow on the back foot. Go forward or counter attacking ball is lethal to give to Russell.

Centres, Glasgow have gone for a playmaking 12 and a fast 13. Exeter have gone for a ball carrying 12 and a playmaking 13. Hopefully Glasgow can negate Whitten/Hendrickson and slow the ball down/reduce space for Slade.

Back 3 will be interesting. Exeter probably have more pedigree overall but Jones and Jackson have been in excellent form. Short is fast from the bench however, Niko will be coming on with a point to prove.

This is going to be an excellent game. Glasgow to score more tries and Exeter to sneak the win.

As an English Scot, I have a soft spot for both teams, Glasgow because it's been so refreshing to see a Scottish team doing so well, and Exeter because I remember when they first came back up from the championship to the premiership and have been on a steep trajectory. I didn't even mind when they beat Wasps in the final last year (although looking at this season in comparison I think that was our best chance of winning the Aviva for the first time since it was the Guinness/Zurich premiership, thanks for that guys).

Waffling aside, I think Exeter will win pretty comfortably, by around 10 points or so. I'm pretty sure they will have watched the finals from last year when Sarries absolutely hammered Glasgow, which was when the Warriors were more competitive in the set piece than they are now. Now it's a more significant weakness for Glasgow I can see Chiefs powerhousing them.

I am pretty happy with that team, probably the strongest we can put out atm. Probably the only contentious selection was Jones over Sarto and it is hard to quibble with it really, as Jones has had a great season so far. I think Leo had his chance to grab the spot last weekend, but did not take it. He will get other chances though, maybe next weekend.

Really hard game to call, but most of the pundits are going for Exeter. I think we can win it though and that will be the teams mentality. Getting the away win in such a tough place as Bloemfontein last weekend will have done them the power of good.

Me and the missus are heading down west tomorrow morning. The weather conditions are going to be fantastic for an open game of rugby. I am expecting a high scoring open game. It's going to be great.

Neilly, I'm not sure that rough-housing will work against this Glasgow side. Leicester probably thought the same thing in the pools last year and we saw that that worked out. I was at the sarries game and Glasgow were a shadow of their normal side, looked fatigued and missing key players before and during the match. I feel this will be an even contest and hope Glasgow's outrageous fitness levels this season count in the last ten or so. A great game lies ahead.

The Sarries match is an interesting point: it reminded me of the Toulon tie from a previous year. After both of them there was a sense that Glasgow hadn't really turned up, or done themselves justice. After both of them Toonie said it was his fault as he'd over analysed the opposition and the players had been over-prepared (especially when the opposition cunningly played to a different game plan from the one Glasgow were expecting).Just to be clear: I think Toonie is an exceptionally good coach. However, at times I felt he disempowered the players by over- analysing the opposition and preparing American Football style plays. This resulted, for me, in a passive mentality among the players which led to "not turning up".Renzo seems to be more focussed on putting his best XV out and telling them to trust their skills and their fitness. I know this is an over simplification but there is probably a grain of truth in it. I think tomorrow will be close, but I don't see Exeter's set piece alone being enough to beat Glasgow. If Glasgow hold the ball for long periods and move the Exeter defence around then (a) gaps will appear (b) they will tire. Then Glasgow can win. Set piece or no.

I was at the Sarries game to and while I really did enjoy the day, in hindsight it was also massively disappointing, for good as Sarries were (and they were very good) we did not really turn up.

I don't completely agree with Jim's analysis, though Toonie over thinking things may have been a part of it. Unfortunately Glasgow also completely emptied the tank in qualification for the quarters added to the fact that most of their players also played a pivotal role in a great 6N for Scotland meant that the tank was empty when push came to shove. It also illustrates just how hard it is to do well in Europe, as Glasgow are not the only team to be in that position, though few sides give quite as much to the national sides as we do.

So what has changed for us this year that means we can move on from last year. Experience for a start, most of the great European sides have faced a journey to reach the pinnacle. That was our first quarter final and Exeter have also struggled on the Euro satge on their journey so far.

We also have undoubtedly got a better squad this year, which will mean more rotation and hopefully fresher players when we get to the crunch. We also have a coach who has won the biggest of club prizes and understands how to get us to that point. We certainly won't lack ambition or confidence and certainly have the game to do well if we can put it together.

WE don't need to win this game to qualify, but Exeter probably do, so there will be extra pressure on them, especially if the game remains close.

Exeter remain a quality side though, who are similar to Glasgow in many ways, a great advertisement for a club punching way above their weight, something that supporters of all the smaller, less well financed sides should applaud. Glasgow are in the same mould and this will be a close game between two evenly matched teams. If we play to our abilities then we can win this game, but nothing is going to be a given, our set piece remains a worry and we have not played a side as good as this yet this season. I can't wait.

Gee, keep your eyes to the right as you pass Salisbury..you get a great view of Stonehenge. There's usually a tailback so you'll get plenty of time to enjoy it.

The Exeter Official Fan Club have organised a get together for the Glasgow fans in the Wigwam at 17:45, curry available. I believe that the Cider Barn is part of, or next to the Wigwam. Bru and I are meeting ASBO there pre match.

Good sides out and both aren't quite at full strength although both bring good form.

It's quite early in the season to have a wedge of injuries and players out and it always makes my heart sink a little when I see the Weegie team sheet. If you replace Jackson with Hogg, Horne with Dunbar, Grigg with Jones, Cummings with Big Brian and Johnson (on the bench) with Horne - then I would be absolutely confident of a good win, regardless of what sort of the team the Chiefs could put out. I am also hugely admirative of the strides which Lee Jones has made in recent years and the form he is in - however, in the same league as Sarto? I don't buy it (yet).

But of course, that's not professional sport. The question is whether all of the players I have mentioned above as non-starters, usually, can maintain their form and confidence to the extent that they can get something out of this match. I hope that they can and we will at the very least be competitive.

For Chiefs fans, if you can stop Finn Russell, half the game is won. Dave Rennie took the question a fortnight ago about how he rates Russell in comparison to other players internationally. He didn't pause before replying that FR is every bit as talented as any player in New Zealand that he has ever coached. And recently, that includes Aaron Cruden and Damian McKenzie.

It's quite early in the season to have a wedge of injuries and players out and it always makes my heart sink a little when I see the Weegie team sheet. If you replace Jackson with Hogg, Horne with Dunbar, Grigg with Jones, Cummings with Big Brian and Johnson (on the bench) with Horne - then I would be absolutely confident of a good win, regardless of what sort of the team the Chiefs could put out. I am also hugely admirative of the strides which Lee Jones has made in recent years and the form he is in - however, in the same league as Sarto? I don't buy it (yet).

George - I think there is some dispute over whether Big Brian is fit or not, as he is listed as playing for Hawks this afternoon in the league. Either way, Rennie has picked Cummings over him on form and by preference. He is the fast athletic lock that he favours and he was singing his praises in an interview the other day, comparing him to Retalik, praise indeed. The fact that he has started him ahead of BB in pretty much every game this season shows how high he rates him.

In my mind Jones over Sarto was the only controversial pick in the team and with the form Jonsey has shown this year so far, it would have been hard to deny him the slot, he has probably been our most consistent back. I did not think that Sarto had a great game in SA and that may have cost him over a very close call between the two.

I would say Johnson ahead of Horne at 12 for me but Horne has been playing well and I don't begrudge him anything. He earned it.

Sarto probably deserves a bench spot and offers a bit more of a contrast to Seymour than Jones. Again though, Jones has consistently been excellent and may find his way into the AI team for Samoa and Australia.

As for Simmonds, he sounds good and I look forward to watching him. Jones has picked Vunipola and Hughes as his 8's who are different builds to Simmonds so not sure he has much hope (did Jones also try Beaumont who is another gargantuan 8?)

Exeter have a very high power, physical off loading game, with solid maul and scrum. They have a good kicker from hand and off the deck. But have looked a bit iffy if another team can hit them hard in the tackle and disrupt their ruck ball.

Glasgow are a very helter skelter side right? So could be a high scoring game for both teams

Yappy - both teams IMO play a similar sort of game so it should be really entertaining. The pundits are not giving Glasgow a chance - what a surprise. Glasgow are coming back into form and are 6/6 without ever hitting top form yet and with some key players either missing or only just back.

Glasgow will attack the breakdowns when they can, will play fast and loose and counter from anywhere on the park. Kick the ball to them all game you will lose as they will not kick it back much. Scrums will be an issue for Glasgow - so few props they got one on loan who promptly got banned. Glasgow will also play for interceptions - something they do a lot of. Then we have mad McMata to come on as a sub - and no one really knows what he will do bar he will cost you tries and create tries. They have a couple of players Rennie thinks would grace the all blacks. Russell has looked to be getting back to his best and playing with a smile - he really is developing into a fantastic player

My prediction - glasgow by more than a score in a high scoring game - but no way would I put my shirt on it ;-)

Exeter are my favourite english side - I saw them play Glasgow a couple of years ago and I love the way they play and their ethos. Baxter is a great coach and would have been my choice for the lions

Hazel Sapling wrote:I would say Johnson ahead of Horne at 12 for me but Horne has been playing well and I don't begrudge him anything. He earned it.

Sarto probably deserves a bench spot and offers a bit more of a contrast to Seymour than Jones. Again though, Jones has consistently been excellent and may find his way into the AI team for Samoa and Australia.

As for Simmonds, he sounds good and I look forward to watching him. Jones has picked Vunipola and Hughes as his 8's who are different builds to Simmonds so not sure he has much hope (did Jones also try Beaumont who is another gargantuan 8?)

Beaumont is a lock who can run fast. Very different beast from Vunipola and Hughes who are both just monsters. Beaumont seems to have dropped down the pecking order and is back playing lock at Sale.

We have made a lot out of playing monsters at 8 and have been lucky to get Hughes to back up BV - but beyond those it will have to be more of a skills based player because there are only so many monsters who are available and up to standard